20 Week Old Will Not Sleep!

My son has been doing the same thing. He's 5 1/2 months old. What a pain. I thought we had the sleeping/eating thing down and then he went and changed it again! He did exactly as you described: last night he was up at midnight and then again at 4am. And today he cut his first tooth! So that may have been what it was; maybe tonight he'll sleep more, I don't know. But, anyway, to try to get him to sleep longer, I get him up to feed him right before I go to bed, around 9;15 or so (he goes to bed around 7). It's worked on some nights. Good luck--let us know what happens!

Our daughter was (and is still, at age three) very sensitive to change in her life, and it pretty much always manifested itself by screwing up her sleep. Then she would get into this vicious cycle where she wasn't getting enough sleep, so her overtired self wouldn't nap well, making her more overtired, etc etc. We got into some month-or-two long funks. In spite of having dealt with this a lot, I don't really have any "this will absolutely work" advice. We did find that it helped all of us to do whatever it took to get in a few decent nights sleep (I spent a lot of time sleeping on her floor because she never slept well in our bed) and then we would deal with the secondary problem that we just created when at least we were dealing with just one issue, rather than the issue compounded with exhaustion. My guess is that she will start sleeping better at daycare when she gets more used to being there, so that will help things. The upside is that whatever you do temporarily, if you have a "good sleeper" then this will be a phase and she will get back to sleeping when her life adjusts to normal (and those darn teeth stop coming in. Try motrin for that instead of tylenol, if it hasn't already been suggested. Way more effective). Good luck!

Hi Heidi,
My 5.5 month old went thru the same thing! Don't fret...it's another one of "those" phases!! I know this sounds weird, but I have one of those exercise balls and I hold my little one in my arms and bounce with her. It soothes her and puts her right to sleep during those late night wakings. Hope this helps.

Hi Heidi,
Maybe she's ready to try some rice cereal for one of her feedings---a fuller stomach may help her to sleep through longer---it helped our son who did the same thing when he was 22 weeks old. He is now 4 and sleeps beautifully. Hang in there!
Kim

I remember that 5 month mark with my girls as being a period where they went through a lot of changes, just like yours. There was teething, day care, and they definitely had a growth spurt at that time. I do recall with my youngest that she seemed to be going backwards and getting worse and not better with sleeping! She is 13 months now and has omnly been sleeping consistently through the night for 2 months! Anyway, I agree that she is experiencing a little stress due to those changes, but my advice is to just keep doing what you are doing and be consistent, no matter what. Feed her out of the crib, pat her, and put her right back in. You may need to rub her back or belly a little, talk to her soothingly a little, but just keep letting her know that nighttime is sleeping time. Don't sit with her for a long time because she will get VERY used to that and come to expect it. Don't worry, she will get the message before you know it. Babies go through these stages and changes often, and just when you think it's hopeless, they get better. You just have to be firm yet meet her needs at the time - a delicate balancing act, I know. I do believe with my baby that she really DID need extra food overnight, even at 9 months when she was a big baby! I knew we would not let it go past a year with her waking, and she figured it out right before she turned 1 all on her own. Good luck, I know how tough it is, especially when you are working. I spent this past year in a daze but it's much better now. It does improve!!

I don't have anything concrete to recommend just a tip that I picked up along the way...if possible, get her to bed earlier. Maybe try to put her down right when you get home from work/daycare. then wake her up a bit later for some quiet play and a last bottle. Keep trying and just when you figure it out, she'll change again! Good luck

I haven't read the other posts yet ... but it could definitely be teething. Which is a nightmare for all involved. My son would be up every 2 or 3 hours. Or your little one may not be eating enough. Try infant tylenol or motrin with doc's approval for teething and try giving baby extra formula before bed if it is a hunger issue. Good luck! My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 10 and half months old and sleep wonderfully now.

Ah, the 20 week sleep regression. Both of mine went through it...when I returned to work! It will get better, and will only last a few weeks.

If you know for a fact she's teething it will pass. My 15 month gets like that every time he has a tooth coming in. he has 5 more to go so hopefully I can look forward to sleep all the time. If she's teething try giving her some tylenol before she goes to bed or if she uses a binky stick it in the fridge before bedtime. They recomend that you use orajel sparingly so we only used when he woke screaming during the night. Good luck.